Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich (audio)

Stephanie Plum returns from a trip to Hawaii to find that once again people are after her. This time they are after a photo that they think was given to Stephanie aboard the plane. But Stephanie doesn't have it. So not only does she have to deal with a pair of inept thugs but she has a crazy assassin and a ditzy hairdresser after the photograph and none of them will believe that she is not in possession of the picture. On top of that Stephanie has problems with a purse snatcher stealing her car and tracking down her old nemesis, Joyce Barnhardt, who is a person of interest in a murder investigation and who has skipped out on her bond. It's just a typical adventure for Stephanie Plum.

The mystery of who Stephanie takes to Hawaii at the conclusion of Smokin' Seventeen is solved. Unfortunately it ended badly and Stephanie doesn't want to talk about it until halfway through the book. So in addition to waiting on that mystery to be solved plus the other standard ones that come with the book and Stephanie's inability to still catch a skip, it made for a good if maddening book. Seriously why can't Stephanie just catch someone easily for once? It borders on stupidity at this point. But I guess if she were a adapt bounty hunter the books wouldn't be as funny. I still like reading them but I really wish she'd pick a man and either get a new job or learn how to do this one better. It was still a funny book though the subplot with Joyce Barnhardt was wrapped up pretty neatly and quickly after spending a lot of time on it as was the main plot come to think of it.

Read by Lorelei King

Stephanie Plum series
          Twelve Sharp
          Lean Mean Thirteen
          Fearless Fourteen
          Finger Lickin' Fifteen
          Sizzling Sixteen 
          Smokin' Seventeen 

Smokin' Seventeen by Janet Evanovich

Stephanie is back with more of the same.  This time Grandma Belle, Joe's grandmother, is putting curses on her.  Meanwhile, someone is leaving dead bodies for Stephanie and several people want to kill her.  But then again, what else is new?

I enjoy this one as I have enjoyed the other Stephanie Plum books, but they are bordering on stale.  It's sort of the "same ole thing" with Stephanie, needing to choose between two hot guys, her failure to apprehend skips, and people wanting her dead.  I really want some forward motion for her.  She seems to be stuck in the same spot.  There was a nice callback to the first book so that was something.  And Grandma Mazur and Lulu are once again the funnies thing in the book.  It was a nice addition to the Stephanie Plum collection but it wasn't the greatest.  I am hoping that this series is going to wrap up soon and that Stephanie gets a good happy ending with a guy who will just let her be herself.

Sizzling Sixteen (audio) by Janet Evanovich

In the sixteenth installment of Stephanie Plum, she is looking for Vinnie after he is kidnapped for some gambling debts. 

I never get bored with Stephanie Plum and her mishaps as the worst, most ineffectual bounty hunter.  Mostly because they just plain make me laugh.  Though there was a bit of forward movement in this book so I think it might get the characters out of the rut that they have been in for quite a few books now.  And Stephanie seems to be getting closer to a decision between Morelli and Ranger. 

This was different too because Vinnie was featured a bit more.  I hope he is featured a bit less from now on because he is really annoying and I didn't like the narrator's voice for him (though it fits).  But Vinnie gets in trouble with the local mob who is in a war with someone much more dangerous and Vinnie has become a target.  So Stephanie decides to rescue him with hilarious results and a little bit of underhandedness.  Lulu is still one of my favorite characters and it was nice to see more of Connie. 

7 hours

Lorelei King is the narrator for this series and I enjoy listening to her voice.  She has become Stephanie Plum to me and I love her other voices for the characters.  She really makes them distinct and fitting for each one.  She has a soothing voice for the narration bits of the book and is never over the top.

Hogwarts: Defence Against the Dark Arts
Cover Lover
Lazy Girl mini-challenge
Whisper in My Ear
ABC

One for the Money (A Stephanie Plum Novel) (audio)

Since I finished up the Stephanie Plum challenge I was feeling nostalgic.  I hadn't read the first book in 12+ years and wanted to go back to the beginning.  I totally forgot that Stephanie's first FTA was none other than Joe Morelli! Quelle surprise!  In this book, we are introduced to our favorite cast of characters including Stephanie herself, Joe, Ranger, Grandma Mazer, Connie, and Lulu.  The characters are obviously not well fleshed out yet, but foundations are there.  Lulu, especially, is different because she is working as a hooker in this book and Stephanie befriends her while she is solving her case.

This book is gritty than the others to come and the crimes seem more horrific.  Benito Ramirez, the "villain," is down right creepy and his crimes gave me chills.  He is a boxer who likes to hurt and rape women and he takes a liking to Stephanie leading to some very disturbing scenes.  Stephanie does a little better with the FTAs surprisingly and she is more comfortable with a gun, at least till the end.  Ranger shows up from time to time and it was great seeing him when he was more mysterious than he is now.  Morelli is the same and so is Connie and Vinny.  Grandma Mazer is hilarious, though less inclined to "shoot 'em up."  Everyone comes off more "real" than they are later, less like caricatures.  All in all, a great start to a great series.

Plum Spooky: A Stephanie Plum Between the Numbers Novel

Jacket:
Stephanie Plum is back in town, along with her sidekick Lula, her Grandma Mazur, and an ever-widening cast of freaks, criminals, deranged felons, and lunatics looking for love. And just when Stephanie thinks her life can't get any more complicated, in walks the mysterious Diesel, a man who seems to show up at the most inconvenient moments. This time, he's the instigator for Stephanie's new adventure, which involves camping in the Pine Barrens with Lula, lots of monkeys, and perhaps even a sighting of the Jersey Devil. . . So turn on all the lights and check under your bed. Things are about to get spooky in Trenton, New Jersey!

This was one of the few Between the Numbers books where a subplot in a Numbers book is finished up.  So if you're wondering what happens to Lulu and Tank the answer is in this book.  I had skipped from Fourteen to Fifteen and so was wondering what happened with the wedding plot, but that situation is cleared up.  So I recommend reading this one between those two.

Anyway,  another fun Stephanie book.  I thought I wasn't going to like the monkey subplot but it turned out pretty funny. I love the ones with Diesel.  He is so funny and so unlike Ranger and Morelli that it makes it fun.  At one point, he calls himself the man of mystery and Stephanie says that no Ranger is the man of mystery.  It's like all the guys have their roles.  But she is always attracted to the alpha male types.  Also it seems like Ranger knows Diesel and vice versa and that is a story I'd like to hear.

Finger Lickin' Fifteen: A Stephanie Plum Novel (audio)

Lulu witnesses the decapitation of a famous chef and the murders are after her.  Stephanie takes a job helping Ranger find a burgler who is breaking into his security company's clients' houses.  Add in a little Grandma Mazer and a whole lot of BBQ and you have another hilarious Stephanie Plum novel.

This was a nice departure from the usual formula of Stephanie being in a danger.  The focus is switched to Lulu but Stephanie suffers from some collateral damage as a result of always being with Lulu.  The killers are dumb as rocks so the whole book involves a chase right up to the very end.  I also enjoyed the Ranger mystery.  Stephanie isn't dumb.  She is actually very smart and intuitive.  She's just no good as a bounty hunter, but she's an excellent detective.  I like that about her.

Stephanie and Morelli are on a break in this book and she hangs out with Ranger a whole lot.  Which is nice because I like it when she is with Ranger.  But if I was on a break from Morelli, you can bet I'd be sleeping with Ranger first chance I get because damn!  That's a whole lot of sexy.  But she's more cautious than me.

Fearless Fourteen: A Stephanie Plum Novel (audio)

The further madcap adventures of Ms. Stephanie Plum.  This time Stephanie has to deal with a wedding obsessed Lulu, a teenage boy and his missing man, the boy's crazy bank robbing uncle and an aging popstar.

I really enjoyed this one and was surprised by the ending.  It had its usual hijinks of Stephanie and Lulu trying to take down some FTAs but not as many as usual.  This one focused more on Ranger's security detail on the popstar, Brenda, a cross between Britney, Madonna, and Dolly Parton.   Brenda was a great addition since she was so funny and her "stalker" Gary was hilarious.  I love how Stephanie just accepts these people in her life and gives them sandwiches.  That was so great.  It was also funny how Brenda made Ranger nervous.  You just don't get that from Ranger.

Lulu's decision to marry Tank so also a great subplot.  I think it's funny that Tank is scared of Lulu and just lets her go on.  I doubt that they will get married, but it's a fun thing to read.  Grandma Mazer makes many hilarious appearances as does Mooner.  It was a great book and I really thought I knew how it was going to end and I was wrong.  So the predictability went out the window with this one.

Plum Lucky: A Stephanie Plum Between the Numbers Novel (audio)

Stephanie can't win.  Grandma Mazer finds a bag of money that a little man in green pants claims is his.  He also claims to be a leprechaun.  Grandma Mazer is of the "finders keepers" persuasion and takes the money to Atlantic City.  But there she finds a heap of trouble instead of luck and it's up to Stephanie to get her out of this mess along with the very hot, very mysterious Diesel.

The Between the Numbers books are so funny and short.  It's like a little taste of Stephanie but with a new hot guy and a little paranormal.  Lorilei King is the narrator of the Stephanie Plum books and she does a great job.  I wasn't sure of her at first, but now I can't imagine it read by someone else.

Lean Mean Thirteen: A Stephanie Plum Novel (audio)

Stephanie is up to her eyeballs in men.  First, her stupid ex-husband is missing, leaving Stephanie a suspect in his possible disappearance/maybe murder.  Now Morelli has gone MIA for work reasons and Ranger is babysitting her since, once again, someone is out for her.  She seriously cannot win.  At this point, the plot is fairly familiar.  Stephanie can't catch an FTA for her life, Ranger and Morelli are dead sexy and she is confused, and someone is trying to kill her.  I honestly would have considered stopping at this book if these books weren't so darned funny.  Stephanie gets in these crazy situations and ALWAYS manages to get kidnapped, but by the grace of God, gets out of it.  And she has a new car every time.  I don't know how much longer the series is going on, but it is still very funny so I'll still keep reding.

Plum Lovin':A Stephanie Plum Between the Numbers Novel

Jacket:
Mysterious men have a way of showing up in Stephanie Plum's apartment. When the shadowy Diesel appears, he has a task for Stephanie -- and he's not taking no for an answer. Annie Hart is a "relationship expert" who is wanted for armed robbery and assault with a deadly weapon. Stephanie needs to find her, fast. Diesel knows where she is. So they make a deal: He'll help her get Annie if Stephanie plays matchmaker to several of Annie's most difficult clients. But someone wants to find Annie even more than Diesel and Stephanie. Someone with a nasty temper. And someone with "unmentionable" skills. Does Diesel know more that he's saying about Annie Hart? Does Diesel have secrets he's keeping from Stephanie and the two men in her life -- Ranger and Morelli? With Stephanie Plum in over her head, things are sure to get a little dicey and a little explosive, Jersey style!

I forgot the "Between the Numbers" books had a supernatural element to them.  I'm not sure what Diesel is or how Stephanie keeps getting all these hot guys.  Once again, Stephanie finds herself in an interesting situation.  Since Annie, the "cupid," is unavailable Stephanie has to fill in and do a little matchmaking.  But even when she messes up, she still manages to get things right.  Grandma Mazer and Lulu are hilarious as always and I really like Diesel, even if he is a cocky guy.   

It's a relatively short book, easily read in a couple of hours..  While it isn't necessary to read them in order with the numbered books, some of the events are referred to in the other books. 

Twelve Sharp: A Stephanie Plum Novel (audio)

Stephanie Plum's 12th adventure finds her once again in over her head.  This time Ranger's daughter has been kidnapped by a psycho who wants to be Ranger.  And he also has his eye on Stephanie.  Ranger's wife shows up looking for him much to Stephanie's shock.  And Stephanie still can't apprehend someone without it turning into a big deal.  Now she has Ranger sleeping in her bed, a psycho looking for her and she has to control Lulu and Grandma Mazer.  Things are getting crazy for Stephanie Plum.

A little background: When I was 19ish I stayed with my aunt and my cousin for a whole summer.  Sufficient to say, I didn't bring enough books, but their little town had a tiny library and randomly they had the first 3 or 4 of these.  That's all there was at the time.  The cover was cool and so was the premise so my aunt checked them out for me and I was hooked.  Later I even got my mom hooked.  But by the time this book came out, I was distracted by other things and I never got caught up so that is why I joined J.Kay's Stephanie Plum Challenge.  I'm a little sorry I didn't keep up because these books are so funny.  It takes a lot to make me laugh out loud, but Lulu and Grandma Mazer can do it every time.  They are so hilarious, both saying the most outrageous things.  And, man oh man, Ranger and Morelli are so damn sexy.  Phew.  Now that's dilemma I'd like to have.

The books are getting a little predicable though at this point.  Stephanie messes up an apprehension, there's a bigger case, Ranger/Morellis something something, Stephanie is captured but manages to win.  Stephanie is actually pretty smarter and tougher than she use to be.  I just wish she could make an apprehension without messing up so much.  But I keep reading these because they are funny and I like Stephanie a lot.

Stephanie Plum Reading Challenge - COMPLETE

A challenge that will help me fulfill a long time goal: finally getting around to reading those Stephanie Plum books I have laying around. My mom buys them and then I "borrow" them, but I haven't picked one up in a long time. I'm the one that got her reading them in the first place. *shakes head* Ah, well.

From J. Kaye's Book Blog, the Stephanie Plum Reading Challenge, the goal is to get caught up on the Stephanie Plum series, so create a list of the books you haven't read yet. You have between now and December 31, 2010. Don't include books you've read prior to or started before 7/23/09.

Here are the books that I need to read to get caught up:

1. Twelve Sharp
2. Plum Lovin
3. Lean Mean Thirteen
4. Plum Lucky
5. Fearless Fourteen
6. Plum Spooky
7. Finger Lickin' Fifteen